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[Tal Shiar Agent]

So yeah, Sledgehammer put out two blog posts detailing the changes from the beta and the launch and first season content for Vanguard.

Call of Duty: Vanguard has undergone some big changes since Open Beta. Here’s everything you need to know.

www.sledgehammergames.com

Quoting the most important stuff (imo).

Visibility

• Distortion effects were removed from muzzle flash and we reduced smoke emitted when firing a weapon
• Completed a pass on muzzle flash placement/coverage when aiming down sights
• VFX Environment ambient placement for better sightlines
• Removed the droplets of water that get all up in your face when it rains
• Various bugs have been fixed including a bug where certain optics would stop enemy and friendly HUD icons from displaying while ADS
• We've fixed cases of nametags appearing through Destruction
• Lens flare reduced across all maps (we nerfed the sun)
• We will continue to refine VFX, Lighting, and UI into launch and monitor player feedback surrounding the various topics of visibility.

Audio

• Audio received a complete mixing and content overhaul to address community feedback from the Public Beta, including more audible footsteps, player and non-player weapons, and map environment content
• Footsteps are silent when players ADS, Crouch Walk, or have a Perk / Field Upgrade equipped which silences movement
• Fixed a bug that caused shots after the first shot to be too quiet
• Operator quips occur less frequently
• Asked Butcher to chill out. VO lines are less frequent

Spawns

• A bug resulting in unpredictable spawns in Patrol has been fixed as well general tuning of spawn logic globally
• We will continue to refine spawn logic over time to improve spawns in matches with higher player counts

Movement

• Grenades and incendiaries no longer slow movement speed of players
• A cap has been placed on max suppression effects
• Changes have been made to animation times including weapon swap speeds and throwing of equipment (ie: Gammon bombs can be thrown more quickly)
• Sprint out times have been sped up and re-balanced
• Dev Tip: Dauntless, a perk that players didn’t have access to in Beta, makes players immune to movement reducing effects

Perks

• Low Profile has been removed and replaced with Ninja
• Dead silence has gained the ghost effect in addition to silent movement while active. This offers more flexibility in perk loadouts.

Obviously that is a ton of stuff being changed, notably adding back Ninja to silence footsteps all of the time. Much different vibe here than from DICE with Battlefield 2042's post-beta blog post.

As for content we have 20 maps (16 regular and 4 for that dumb 2v2 stuff) including remakes of Castle and Dome from World at War. Shipment is also coming on November 17th.
There will be 38 weapons at launch, 34 guns and 4 launchers. Each Operator will be able to leveled up individually to unlock mastery cosmetics.

Vanguard Multiplayer and Zombies – as well as Warzone, following Season One – is here to reward you for personal progress. The best of the best can expect to be decked out in Gold — and then some — from their Operator to their fully loaded 10-attachment weapon.
For those who play the game day in, day out, this is a taste of the experience you can gain from the challenges that Sledgehammer Games put together:

– The Ranking E(XP)erience — 55 Enlisted Ranks to unlock all Loadout items. Seasonal Prestige system to return.
– Weapon Progression — Weapon XP unlocks attachments and Camo Challenges. Use attachments across all modes and unlock two sets of striking cosmetic camouflage rewards: one through Zombies and another through Multiplayer or Warzone.
– New Operator XP, Leveling, and Rewards — All 12 Operators at launch and others to come — can be leveled up to unlock new Skins, including special Gold attire, Weapon XP for specific weapons, and more. Use their Favorite Weapon to earn bonus Weapon and Operator XP.
– Clans: Play with Friends, Get Rewarded — Replacing Regiments, Clans invites friends to play together and unlock exclusive rewards by earning Clan XP. Represent your squad with a custom Emblem and unique clan tag and play with your clan members for a global percentage bonus to regular, Weapon, Operator, and Clan XP.

Essentially, every time you play Multiplayer, Zombies, or Warzone Pacific, you’ll unlock something new or at least progress toward it. And that doesn’t even include the rewards available during the seasonal Battle Pass system, another way to earn content at the start of Season One.

Call of Duty®: Vanguard Begins the Biggest Year of Content Ever – Everything You Need to Know About Launch and the Road to Season One

www.callofduty.com

There is a ton of info in that link including a large portion about the future of Warzone (which I don't give a shit about).

From all of this it seems that Vanguard is launching with the most content in a COD game since Modern Warfare 3. I'm not the kinda guy that buys COD every year, I usually skip one, so I am coming into this from Modern Warfare 2019. Not gonna lie, I'm actually fairly excited about this.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

They need to fix spawns and kill SBMM

 

[clarky]

They need to fix spawns and kill SBMM

They need to fix a lot more than that from what I played.

Also not wanting to get into a SBMM debate but for an average to shit player, that's most of the player base, SBMM enhances their experience. It's going nowhere.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

They need to fix spawns and kill SBMM

That's why I mostly played Ground War in MW19, neither of those things mattered.

Its also why I'm primarily going to play the Blitz (up to 48 player) Combat Pacing in VG.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

I hated the beta, but I also hated the black ops beta and they made it better. Pre order has downloaded already so I hope I change my mind on it and didn't just throw away money.

edit: I like the SBMM, you know when you are playing well and eventually you get the crap kicked out of you and move down and I'm okay with that.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

They are adding a full Ranked Play system like we used to have, so I don't know how much having a strict SBMM (where skill matching is prioritized over ping like it is now) still makes sense.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

They need to fix a lot more than that from what I played.

Also not wanting to get into a SBMM debate but for an average to shit player, that's most of the player base, SBMM enhances their experience. It's going nowhere.

The problem I have with SBMM in COD anyhow it swings too wildly.

I can have a couple of decent games and the next few lobbies I am grouped against a bunch of esport pro wannabes

I really like the SBMM in say Rocket League as it doesnt seem to fluctuate quite as dramatically

Oh then there are the guys going 0-200 in their K/D just to get easier lobbies

But I do agree the totally average person running their 1/1 KD it does keep them grouped with people of similar skill

 

[clarky]

Yeah agreed, on cold war I'd get a couple of blow outs in our favour then just get creamed constantly.

Thought you where calling for it to be removed, my bad I've just woke up.

I can see myself skipping this one if halo hits the spot.

 

[BigLee74]

Want it, but no fucking way am I spending 70 quid on a single game ever. Ridiculous pricing. I’ll wait for a code under 50.

(and I say this as a senior professional who makes a decent amount of money - although I am Scottish and therefore thrifty by association)

 

[clarky]

Want it, but no fucking way am I spending 70 quid on a single game ever. Ridiculous pricing. I’ll wait for a code under 50.

(and I say this as a senior professional who makes a decent amount of money - although I am Scottish and therefore thrifty by association)

Thrifty? That's Scottish for tight cunt for anyone not from the UK.

(I agree with you).

 

[Matt_Fox]

Want it, but no fucking way am I spending 70 quid on a single game ever. Ridiculous pricing. I’ll wait for a code under 50.

(and I say this as a senior professional who makes a decent amount of money - although I am Scottish and therefore thrifty by association)

I've pre-ordered this but I must admit the £70 did feel like a stinger.

My rationale is that you can put A LOT of hours into this game, 100+ if you're keen it's not like an 8 hour story and you're done.

 

[BigLee74]

I've pre-ordered this but I must admit the £70 did feel like a stinger.

My rationale is that you can put A LOT of hours into this game, 100+ if you're keen it's not like an 8 hour story and you're done.

Ive played Cold War all year, and I know I’ll play Vanguard all year. But I have a complete mental block on £70.

Halo and Forza it is in the meantime!

 

[Guileless]

I'm bummed there's no physical collectors edition with some kind of useless kitsch. I'm afraid the days of physical collectors editions are numbered.

 

[clarky]

Ive played Cold War all year, and I know I’ll play Vanguard all year. But I have a complete mental block on £70.

Halo and Forza it is in the meantime!

Especially when they are "free".

Bet you Scots are loving gamepass.

 

[MaKTaiL]

No matter how much they change it is still COD. Pass.

 

[wipeout364]

Really enjoyed the last two COD’s so looking forward to this one. Didn’t love the beta and WW2 is a tired setting but hopefully it will work out.

I really like SBMM; really like the close matches and the way it gets rid of all the hardcore COD players, instead making them play each other.

I will never be amazing at these games and and don’t want to play against people who play COD 8 hours a day. The SBMM iCOD Cold War is some of the best I have experienced, I rarely feel like I am playing way out of my league and team blowouts are rare from what I have seen.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Honestly SBMM and disbanding lobbies are the worst additions to COD since OMA.

SBMM just makes the core game more sweaty, sure you could run into awful lobbies before but now it's a guarantee. You alternate between sweat and easy as fuck. Disbanding lobbies means there is no community aspect to the game anymore. Back in the day you could do informal goofy shit like knives only or other stuff like that.

 

[TaiLopezFan]

Can’t wait. This is going to be a amazing year of CoD

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Honestly SBMM and disbanding lobbies are the worst additions to COD since OMA.

SBMM just makes the core game more sweaty, sure you could run into awful lobbies before but now it's a guarantee. You alternate between sweat and easy as fuck. Disbanding lobbies means there is no community aspect to the game anymore. Back in the day you could do informal goofy shit like knives only or other stuff like that.

Agreed.

I dont mind SBMM that much. But it's the re-doing lobbies after every match which is retarded. Not only does that bog down the downtime between matches, but who doesn't want to replay a match with the same people and see who wins?

If they want to do SBMM calculations, do it after every 20 matches or 24 hours. Why re-do everything after every single match?

 

[On Demand]

Do they still break up players after every match?

Is multiplayer still SBMM?

If yes then all other improvements are irrelevant imo.

 

[nikos]

Nothing mentioned about the slide cancel timing. Really hoping it's reverted to MW/Warzone timing and not the other way around.

 

[Strider Highwind]

I only played the beta for a few matches so I’m asking one of you who tried it and went more in depth with it…was the rain effect that bad to where they deleted it all together?(Obviously it was to somebody, but I’m asking folks here lol-I’m just wondering)

I can understand removing it since that seems more like an effect geared towards a single player experience…I guess I’m answering my own question when I say nobody wants to lose to the rain rather than their opponent…but was it so overpronounced it deserved deleting altogether?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Do they still break up players after every match?

Is multiplayer still SBMM?

If yes then all other improvements are irrelevant imo.

Unless the final version is different, the beta reshuffled you into a new lobby after very match. And yes, CODs have SBMM lately. I dont know when it started where it's now hardcore into SBMM, but I googled it and Treyarch claims all CODs have had SBMM of some sort since the beginning.

That's a 100% lie. Those old 360 CODs had zero SBMM. You'd get tossed into random lobbies of awesome gamers, or bad gamers, or thrown into a match where the opposing team is a party of 4 or 5 great gamers (when you check their barrack stats). There is no way there is any kind of SBMM was turned on back then.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Want it, but no fucking way am I spending 70 quid on a single game ever. Ridiculous pricing. I’ll wait for a code under 50.

(and I say this as a senior professional who makes a decent amount of money - although I am Scottish and therefore thrifty by association)

I felt the same but managed to grab a Series X copy from Boss Deals using a code for £49 (down from £62). Hopefully it’s decent.

 

[Fake]

Halo have a gold chance. Neither CoD and BF are good this time with is quite remarkable.

Both Activision and EA are trying their best to fuck up their own game.

 

[Sosokrates]

The least exciting cod since cod2: the big red one.

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Shipment and Shoothouse so I can play them over and over again like I already do. Just release Call of Duty: Shoot the ship that updates for ever and only has shoot the ship.

 

[Excess]

I like the SBMM, you know when you are playing well and eventually you get the crap kicked out of you and move down and I'm okay with that.

It was never really implemented to put you in lobbies that are equal to your skill level. It was implemented to increase retention by having you constantly seeking the high you get from playing well. In other words, it's a manipulative psychological tool to keep you coming back for more, and thereby raising conversion rates on MTX.

There should be nothing to like about that.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Every game today that sells microtransactions employs psychological tricks to get people to buy more.

Everything from third person takedowns to show off your enemy's skin, to end of match VIP showcases, to battlepasses exploiting FOMO.

In my experience it's easier for long-time gamers to recognize this shit and have it not affect them, but newer gamers (or gamers who only play COD/Madden/FIFA etc) fall prey more easily, especially kids.